Fortunately, Gao Qingshan had a letter of introduction from Captain Gao, so Xing Zhaozhao had them book two rooms at the guesthouse. Wang Xiaofa, whose brother had arranged for him to stay at the guesthouse as well, was also staying there, so they could stay together.
Xing Zhaozhao decided to spend the night at the hospital and help Ling Xiao look after the child. Because of their situation, Ling Xiao hadn't been to the hospital yet and was probably too busy to leave, so it was only right for her to look after the child for him.
Xing Zhaozhao escorted Gao Qingshan and the others to the guesthouse. When she returned to the hospital ward, Ling Ze had already woken up. When he saw her, his expression was somewhat timid. He quickly covered half of his face with the blanket, only opening his big, dark eyes to look at her. In a slightly hoarse voice, he asked, "Who are you?"
"Don't you recognize me? You used to hold my hand and call me Mom." Xing Zhaozhao joked with him with a smile.
Unexpectedly, the little guy took it seriously. He suddenly sat up in bed, looked at Xing Zhaozhao with anticipation, and asked, "Are you really my mother?" When he was half asleep, he did feel a woman who looked like his mother taking care of him. He never thought it would actually be real.
Xing Zhaozhao was taken aback for a moment, then felt a little embarrassed and apologized to him, "I'm sorry, I was just joking. I'm not your mother. But if you really want to call me mother, that's fine too. I have three children in my own family, so one more won't hurt."
Ling Ze's face was full of disappointment. He lay back down on the bed and said, "Then forget it. I don't want someone else's mother. I only want my own mother."
Xing Zhaozhao sat down on the chair next to Xiao Lingze's bed and asked with a smile, "What kind of person is Xiao Ze's mother? Does she look a lot like me? Otherwise, she wouldn't have mistaken me for her mother before."
Ling Ze stared blankly at the ceiling above him: "I don't know, I've never seen it before."
Xing Zhaozhao's heart tightened, and the smile on her face froze. She apologized again, "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."
Ling Ze didn't seem to care: "It doesn't matter, I'm used to it."
As he spoke, Ling Ze turned to look at Xing Zhaozhao, his eyes filled with wariness, and asked, "Why are you here? Did Ling Xiao send you? Or did you come here on your own? You're not like those other women, trying to become my stepmother, are you? Don't even think about it. Let me tell you, if there's a stepmother, there's a stepfather. I will absolutely not let a stepmother have the chance to bully me. If you dare to bring your child to our house, I'll beat your kid every day."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." The little guy has such a fiery temper, and he keeps calling Ling Xiao "Dad". It seems that the relationship between the father and son is not very harmonious.
Xing Zhaozhao smiled and said, "It was indeed Ling Xiao who asked me to stay here and take care of you. However, I have no intention of becoming your stepmother. My husband is still alive, and I have no plans to remarry for the time being. You may not remember when you fell into the water, but it was someone with me who rescued you. I carried you all the way to the hospital. After finding your father, I needed his help with something, so he entrusted you to me temporarily. There is absolutely no other intention behind it, so you can rest assured."
Ling Ze responded with an "Oh," a fleeting look of disappointment crossing her eyes, wondering if she had misread it.
“Oh, right,” Xing Zhaozhao thought of something and looked at Xiao Lingze teasingly, “Even if I really bring my kids to your house, you still can’t beat them up. My kids’ dad is in the army and has been training with them since they were little. The two of them together can beat up a whole bunch of kids. You’re just a lone commander, you can’t beat them.”
Ling Ze was furious. He snorted, pulled the blanket over his head, and ignored her.
"Gurgle," his stomach suddenly growled.
Xing Zhaozhao smiled and took out a lunchbox: "When I came back, I specially went to the state-run restaurant to buy white rice porridge and some fragrant salted duck eggs that ooze oil when you poke them. Do you want some?"
Ling Ze hesitated for a moment, then couldn't resist, threw back the covers, and sat up: "Yes." These days, you can't let your stomach suffer, no matter who else is wronged; being hungry is so uncomfortable.
Having filled his stomach, Ling Ze felt much more comfortable and began to feel drowsy again.
By then, it was already dark. After a busy day, Xing Zhaozhao couldn't help but feel tired and yawned.
Seeing this, Ling Ze struggled for a moment, moved to the side, and put on a "I'm super generous" expression, saying, "Seeing how hard you're working, I'll give you half of the bed to sleep in."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." Actually, she could have slept in the empty bed next to her.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Ling Ze blushed with embarrassment, pouted, and said, "If you don't want it, then forget it."
Xing Zhaozhao immediately climbed up and occupied half of his bed: "I am indeed tired, thank you Xiaoze."
Ling Ze gave a haughty snort.
For a moment, both of them fell silent.
After an unknown amount of time, Ling Ze suddenly nudged Xing Zhaozhao: "Hey, are you asleep?"
Xing Zhaozhao remained silent.
The little guy was quiet for a moment, then suddenly snuggled into Xing Zhaozhao's arms.
Xing Zhaozhao raised an eyebrow slightly and casually pulled him into her arms.
Ling Ze froze instantly, too afraid to move. After a while, sensing that Xing Zhaozhao remained motionless, he mustered his courage, nuzzled his head against her chest, and murmured, "Mommy..."
This little guy is so hypocritical.
Xing Zhaozhao's heart softened, and she couldn't help but hug him tighter, closing her eyes in peace.
While half asleep, Xing Zhaozhao suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside, and soon the door to the ward was pushed open forcefully.
"Aunt Xing!" Gao Qingshan's voice rang out in the ward.
Xing Zhaozhao opened her eyes and first looked down at the little Lingze in her arms.
Ling Ze was disturbed, and even though he was still asleep, he frowned uneasy.
Xing Zhaozhao looked at Gao Qingshan, shushed him, carefully released Ling Ze, got out of bed, walked over, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"The soldiers who went into the mountains yesterday have returned. I heard they captured a lot of people and rescued a lot of others," Gao Qingshan said in a low voice, his face beaming with undisguised excitement.
Xing Zhaozhao's eyes lit up: "Let's go, let's go take a look."
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